Subject: Re: The Hunger Games begin ahead of schedule.
marco100: They've expressly stated they want their constituencies to suffer so they can have political "leverage."

Umm, you're mistaken.

In a CNN interview, Speaker Mike Johnson said that passing standalone funding bills for specific government functions, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), would "reduce the pressure" on Democrats to agree to a complete government funding package.

Without one party or the other having a supermajority in the Senate, functional government requires compromise. Republicans demanding that democrats "take it or leave it" with respect to the budget and refusing to negotiate at all is their choice and has brought us to this stalemate.

Republicans promised the American people that they could govern but have proven they cannot govern.